Russia Protests Dismantling of Soviet Monument in Estonia
Russia's Foreign Ministry handed a protest note to Estonia's chargé d'affaires in Moscow over the removal of a Soviet soldier monument in Jõgeveste, criticizing the lack of public information about the exhumation and reburial of remains.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has lodged a protest with Estonia over the dismantling of a Soviet-era war memorial in Jõgeveste, Valga County. The note was delivered to Estonia's temporary chargé d'affaires in Moscow, Marek Juhkegi.
Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the monument stood over a mass grave of 795 Red Army soldiers who died during World War II. She accused Estonian authorities of continuing a 'blasphemous policy' of destroying Soviet memorial heritage and expressed concern that no public data exists on the exhumation or reburial of the remains, leaving descendants unaware of their ancestors' final resting place.
Zakharova also highlighted that Jõgeveste is the site of the mausoleum of Field Marshal Barclay de Tolly, emphasizing a continuity between 19th-century Russian commanders and Soviet soldiers. She criticized the Estonian government's approach to removing Soviet symbols.
In recent years, the Estonian War Museum has systematically dismantled monuments installed by the occupation authorities and organized reburials. The Jõgeveste monument was removed several weeks ago. The museum reported that it is currently sorting the remains for future reburial.
According to the museum, the mass grave contains 795 Soviet soldiers, of whom 726 have been identified. Zakharova noted that in 2022, then-Prime Minister Kaja Kallas set up a working group that catalogued 322 Soviet monuments in Estonia and recommended 244 for removal or replacement.
Russia frequently protests against the removal of Soviet monuments in Estonia and other European countries, using the symbols in its propaganda and foreign policy.
